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About the Book

Are you ready to take your ACT practice to the next level? If so, Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is a powerful resource that can help you streamline your approach and overcome common hurdles that present in therapy.

At some point or another, you have probably encountered difficulty putting theory into practice when it comes to using ACT in sessions with clients. You aren't alone. Although ACT is a powerful treatment option for a number of psychological issues, such as anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, and more, it is a complex, ever-evolving model, and as such it can often be difficult to deliver effectively. The truth is that even the most seasoned ACT therapist will face challenges in their client sessions from time to time.

This is the only advanced professional ACT book on the market, and it is designed to help you close the gap between what you've learned in ACT training and your actual client sessions. Inside, licensed psychologist Darrah Westrup, PhD, provides valuable tips and real-life client scenarios to help you hone your understanding of the core processes behind ACT. You'll also learn practical strategies for moving past common barriers that can present during therapy, such as over-identifying with clients or difficulty putting theory into practice. Most importantly, you'll learn when to deliver specific ACT components, and how to adapt your treatment for each client.

This user-friendly, pragmatic, and thoughtful guide does not promote “error-free” ACT, but rather, ways to identify and work with the therapy process as it unfolds. A must-read for any therapist or mental health professional interested in sharpening their ACT skills.

Authors

Darrah Westrup, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist practicing in Colorado and California with an established reputation for her work as a therapist, program director, trainer, researcher, and consultant to practitioners at various firms and... Read more

Praise

“Doing ACT raises common, predictable challenges. In almost every case they are best overcome by stepping into the ACT model and its foundations with your head, your hands, and your heart. This gentle but wise book shows how to do that-and on all three of those levels. It is indeed Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-not because it applies only to those who are advanced, but because it teaches you how to advance. You don't have to be an ACT expert to buy it, read it, and benefit from it-but if you buy it and read it, I guarantee that you will be much more expert in the ACT work you do.”-Steven C. Hayes, PhD, cofounder of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

“It's rare that I read a textbook that's so good, I don't merely want to recommend it, I want to actually rave about it-in a very loud voice! Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is such a book: a truly superb advanced-level textbook for the ACT practitioner who already has a handle on the basics, but now wants to evolve a more fluid, flexible, and effective style of ACT. I confess to having frequent pangs of envy as I read this book (which I devoured cover to cover in the space of one week) and many thoughts such as, I wish I'd written this. It's easy to read, extremely engaging (in parts, laugh-out-loud funny), and incredibly practical. Even highly experienced ACT practitioners will get a lot from this book. I certainly learned new things from reading it, and I'll bet good money that you will too! . So if you're ready to move from the beginner level `ACT-ish therapy' to genuine, high-powered ACT, then rush out and get this book now!”-Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap and Getting Unstuck in ACT

“As I read Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, I kept turning to my personal knowledge of Darrah Westrup and her incredible ability to communicate, in writing, her gifted therapeutic experience and understanding of ACT. I know Darrah as both a colleague and a friend, and this book shines a bright light on her amazing talent and facility with the intervention. Readers will be engaged from the opening pages regarding theory and processes, through the thoughtful and seasoned application of ACT, all the way to its invitation to continue the ACT journey at the book's close. She brings to this volume not only a digestible, considered, and at times humorous read, that every therapist, not just those using ACT, will find invaluable, but also a personal sense of herself that is kind, grounded, and compassionate. Thank you, Darrah, for this beautiful contribution to the ACT community and therapist community at large.”-Robyn D. Walser, PhD, associate director of dissemination and training at the National Center for PTSD, director at TL Consultation Services, and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, Berkeley

“Advanced Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is an invaluable resource for every therapist who doesn't just want to do good ACT but great ACT. Easy to read and very practical, this book succeeds at linking concrete skills to deep philosophical and behavioral principles underlying the ACT model. The numerous clinical vignettes are commented with great precision and clarity, and show how to activate key processes through natural interactions, beyond traditional exercises.”-Matthieu Villatte, PhD, research scientist at the Evidence-Based Practice Institute, Seattle; ACBS-recognized ACT trainer; and associate editor of the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science